‘EXPERIENCED’ CHESTERS ALL SET FOR TOUR

Walker Cup and Open appearances will help me make my mark, says English ace

ENGLISH star Ashley Chesters insists that playing in back-to-back Open Championships, as well as the Walker Cup, will stand him in good stead as he tries to make a name for himself on golf’s top pro tours.

At 26, Chesters is making the leap to the paid ranks comparatively later than most other top amateurs. However, the Shropshire ace believes that the experiences he has amassed in the amateur game will prove to be invaluable in the coming months and years.

PRESSURE

“Being older than a lot of the others may help me a little but I think more it’ll be the playing in the two Open Championships and the Walker Cup that will work in my favour,” said the Hawkstone Park man.

“Those were huge events, played in front of television cameras, in front of a lot of people and in big pressure situations, so I think that’ll have a lot more benefit than my age.”

Chesters has signed a deal with Wasserman Media Group, the same management firm that handles the affairs of major winner Jason Day and Players’ champion Rickie Fowler.

Central to making a fast start in the pro game, he believes, is adjusting quickly to the longer, softer courses that are more common on the PGA and European Tours than the fast-running, firm links courses that he has predominantly played as an amateur.

“That’s the type of course where the real test comes,” added Chesters. “A few of the guys bomb it off the tee on courses like that while I don’t hit it quite as far. That might have to be an aspect of my game I have to look at. To be honest, though, you don’t really know how your game shapes up until you get there and play more tournaments.”